Part 4
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Her lab was just as she'd left it, except there was even more work in her in-basket. She had several hundred emails, including some very interesting technical papers to read and three requests for her to speak to professional groups. 'Too bad I don't have time for any of them.'
"Sam, welcome back," Dr. Frasier said cheerily. "I just dropped by to make sure you remembered your appointments with me at 1000 and with Dr. MacKenzie at 1100." At Sam's grimace, she continued, smiling broadly, "You know I don't do this for just any patient."
"Yeah, I know, Janet. Thanks for dropping by to nag." Sam revealed a wry smile.
"Actually, I really came by to invite you over to our house Friday night. Cassie's cooking and wants a friendly group for her experiment. Can I count on you?"
"I'll get back to you, okay? Let me look through my in-box and email before I commit to any time off for the foreseeable future." It was a weak joke considering how close it was to reality.
"Sure. Let me know before Friday so Cassie knows how much to make, okay?"
"Of course. How is Cassie? It seems like months since I saw her," Sam said wistfully.
"That's because it has been months. Two to be exact."
"Wow… I didn't realize so much time had passed."
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The week passed quickly for all of SG-1. There was so much to catch up on between emails, paperwork, backlogged projects, notes from missed meetings and the regular doctor's appointments they were required to make. Somehow, the two military members of SG-1 managed not to speak except through email.
Friday morning, General Hammond summoned SG-1, Major Davis, Dr. Frasier and several of the other department heads to the briefing room unexpectedly. The General greeted them all, obviously pleased, "Good morning people. I have just received some very good news. The new president has encouraged the Joint Chiefs to fund the beta site project and they have finally agreed." He glanced around the large table at a wall of stunned and delighted faces. "Major Davis, will you please give us the details?"
The Major stood and faced his audience with relish. "Certainly, sir. The SGC is hereby ordered to find and secure a world not on the list of planets known to the Goa'uld. Once secured, we are to set up and maintain a research station and colony on that world. The colony, designed to support the military base and research station, will consist of military members and their families. Also included are as many of the scientific consultants at the SGC as would like to emigrate with their families or spend time there for study. The funding supplied will allow us to set up a fully functional colony within five years and is guaranteed for an additional five years. By that time, the colony should be relatively self-sufficient and able to trade with other worlds for whatever can't be made or grown."
The General took over from Davis. "Major Carter, you and your technicians will concentrate on the search for addresses to possible worlds. SG-1 and SG-9 will investigate all of the candidate worlds, eliminating any that have inherent dangers or are not favorable for human habitation. Dr. Frasier, your team will begin designing the medical facility for the new colony." Pausing, the General looked around the room at the faces shining with excitement. "This will be the biggest project the SGC has undertaken since the Stargate was first opened. Major Davis has agreed to act as the project manager. From here on in, your assignments will come from him. Please provide him with everything he needs. Dismissed. Colonel O'Neill, may I see you in my office?"
O'Neill followed Hammond into the office next door. "Sit down, Colonel. I have a project for you that I think you'll like."
The colonel suspected where this was going and smirked. "Does it have anything to do with the beta site, sir?"
"I think you know it does, Jack. You were picked to be the commander of the beta site the last time we tried to put it together. I see no reason to change that now. Are you willing to take the assignment? Once we find and secure a world, it would mean handing over SG-1, leaving Earth, possibly for years."
"I was ready to do it before. Nothing has changed that would keep me here as long as I know the fight against the Goa'uld is in good hands," Jack stated firmly, but thought, 'This could be the out that Carter and I need. This past week has shown me I can't keep up the pretense of not loving her and wanting to be with her.'
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A Hunting We Will Go -
The next few weeks were frantic. There were few opportunities for Sam and Jack to even be in the same room, let alone interact. Their communication continued to be strictly electronic.
Sam's anger grew at his continued evasion. "Our not talking is only tearing the team apart, not making it better. Why can't he see it?
During one of the weekly beta site project meetings Sam reported, "We have twice the amount of processing power as usual calculating possible gate addresses, checking them against the Abydos cartouche records and running them through the cold-dialing routines. Already, we've identified six possible worlds for SG-1 and SG-9 to check out. Major Davis and I have worked out a schedule of MALP reconnaissance missions over the next few days. After those are complete we should have mission assignments for the teams within another couple of days."
"Excellent work, Major Carter." Davis concluded the meeting with, "Everyone, please have your progress reports to me by the end of today."
Majors Carter and Frasier walked toward the mess hall talking about the twice-delayed dinner Cassie was preparing for them that night. Janet cautioned Sam, "She's really looking forward to this. Don't get stuck in the lab tonight, Sam."
"I promise I'll be there, Janet! I wouldn't miss it for the world."
"I'm counting on you." Janet shot her a warning look as she paid for her lunch. They took their lunches and searched for a table. "Hey, the guys are over there. Let's join them."
"That's okay, you go on, Janet. I should really get back to my lab." Sam quickly changed course and left the mess hall before a gaping Janet could stop her. Pausing outside the door to let her heart slow down, Sam mused, 'Wow, close call. I almost had to have lunch with Ja- him. It still hurts way too much to be that close, to act as if nothing happened between us. That's something I'm not ready for yet, if I ever will be.'
Back at her lab, Sam set the tray down and logged into her laptop to read her email while she ate. 'What's this?' She looked at an automated email in her inbox from the program searching for and testing new gate addresses. 'A new possibility, hmm. This one's a long way off the beaten path. Not too likely to get many drop-in visits by space ship.'
Sam forwarded the email to Major Davis with a note asking him to add the address for P4J-299 to the schedule for survey missions. 'P4J-299. Why does that sound familiar?' A sick feeling settled in her stomach and her lunch suddenly seemed very unappetizing.
Mechanically, Sam turned back to her email. She was still there, staring at the screen, when Janet came to pick her up for dinner. She'd read through her inbox, but couldn't remember a single message. "Sam, are you ready? You don't look ready to leave."
Sam jumped, not having heard her best friend walk up. "Oh, sorry Janet. As soon as I got back from the mess hall with lunch…"
"Which I see you haven't eaten!" Dr. Frasier exclaimed in exasperated with her friend's eating habits, or lack thereof.
Waving away such petty concerns, Sam continued, visibly upset. "I had an email with a new gate address."
"And this caused you to sit staring at your computer all afternoon because…?" Janet raised an eyebrow.
"It's from the dream world." Sam spoke quietly, still preoccupied with the email and the memories it stirred up.
"What?"
"This same email, with the same address was in the dream world. It proved to be a very promising world. What if…" The Major's voice faded away. She shook her head, not wanting to go down that path.
"Sam, you can't dwell on what happened to you there. It wasn't real."
"I know that, Janet. It's just that the coincidence startled me. I forwarded the new address to Major Davis for an initial MALP survey." Sam began packing up for the night.
After leaving the SGC, Janet drove them to Sam's apartment. The two grabbed glasses of wine from the bottle in Sam's fridge and carried them in to her bedroom.
"No, wear that dress, Sam." Janet pointed to a pale blue and white confection. "Cassie is taking this really seriously and wants us to dress up a little. I'm wearing a dress, so you can too." Janet smiled wickedly at Sam.
Sam wriggled into pantyhose and slipped on the heels that went with the dress as Janet picked though Sam's jewelry box for the perfect accessories. "I hope she appreciates the effort we're making." Sam smiled wryly, taking a sip of the excellent Fumé Blanc.
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A Table for Two Please -
They filled the trip to Janet's house with talk of Cassie and her big plans for the night – what she was serving, the preparations and kitchen disasters that had gone into the meal, and what had brought up the idea in the first place. Janet had several amusing stories about Cassie's rehearsals leading up to the evening's meal
Laughing heartily at her niece's grand experiment, Sam said, "Well, it'll be nice to take an evening off for once."
Cassie had decorated the house with summer flowers and foliage, and a wonderful aroma pervaded between the fragrant bouquets and the delicious smells from the kitchen. Janet and Sam looked at each other, delighted. 'Perhaps tonight won't be an ordeal after all,' thought both women.
"Cassie, are you home, sweetie?" called Janet. Her voice brought Cassie out of the kitchen with a rush and a squeal.
She stopped a few feet from her mother and honorary aunt. "Thanks for coming tonight and letting me experiment on you. The others are already in the family room." Her eyes twinkling, Cassie waved them toward the hall to the back of the house.
'Others?' thought Sam frowning. 'I thought it was just the three of us.' "Can I help with anything, Cassie?"
"No, thanks, Aunt Sam. I have everything under control," the suddenly adult Cassandra said regally. "There's some white wine in the carafe on the bar. Help yourself."
Again, Sam and Janet traded amused and astonished glances. They walked smiling into the family room and saw Teal'c, Daniel and … Colonel O'Neill. Sam eagerly greeted her two friends, but froze when she saw Jack, bitterness on her face. Determined not to spoil Cassie's big evening, she stalked to the bar and poured herself a glass of wine. "Janet, can I get you anything?" she asked, her back to the room.
"No thanks, Sam, I'm going to see how Cassie's doing. She probably has everything under perfect control, but, call me paranoid, I just have to check." Cassie's mom walked to the kitchen door.
The three men were standing together, so Sam stayed by the bar sipping her wine. Shortly, Daniel walked over to join her. "So, Sam, how's the search for addresses going?"
"Actually, pretty well. Another popped up this afternoon," she said casually. "Maybe you remember it. P4J-299."
"Does sound vaguely familiar." He frowned slightly. Then, his eyes got big, as he remembered. "It…it's got to be a coincidence, right?"
"I don't know," she said staring down at her glass, blinking to keep the moisture in her eyes from escaping. 'I will not cry. I will not cry. I never cry.'
"Does anyone else know yet?"
"I forwarded the address to Major Davis and mentioned it to Janet." Sam looked up at him, her eyes begging for understanding and silence. She could see he understood and would help however he could. Teal'c and, especially, Daniel had been very supportive since she'd woken up in the isolation room. 'Why couldn't I have fallen in love with him?'
"Well, I guess that means we'll be going there soon. If it's as nice as the other 299 we visited, we've found our beta site. Congratulations, Sam," Daniel said as he hugged her.
Her smile was ironic as she pulled out of his arms. "Let's wait until we know more before we celebrate. It has to pass the initial MALP survey, perhaps an overflight by a UAV and the manual survey by a team."
"Somehow, I know you've found it, Sam," he said proudly, squeezing her arm. Jack glared at them from across the room.
"Dinner's ready, guys." Cassie stood nervously by the kitchen door. Her mom was carrying dishes filled with food into the dining room. Cassie pushed Janet down into the seat at the head of the table and bustled around with last minute details. Finally, she was ready and sat at the other end.
Sitting back after eating the first two courses, Jack said, "This is fantastic, Cassie. I'll eat at your restaurant any time." Despite trying to sit between Teal'c and Janet, he had somehow ended up sitting next to his major and feeling inhibited. It was becoming more and more evident to everyone that the two were each trying to pretend the other wasn't there.
"Don't say that yet, Uncle Jack. There's two more courses to go," she said nervously, hopping up to serve the next course.
The dinner continued to be a success. If perhaps some of the courses weren't done perfectly, no one would have said a thing to Cassie to save themselves from a squad of Serpent Guards.
Jumping up to help clear, Sam moved quickly away from Jack, relief evident. Daniel worked with her as the others gathered in the living room for coffee. In the kitchen, he cornered her and asked, "What's going on with you two, Sam? You acted like you'd explode if Jack so much as spoke to you tonight."
"We're still trying to work out everything from the dream world, Daniel. Just give us some time."
"Sam, it's been almost six weeks. How much time do you need?" Daniel asked softly.
She felt dangerously fragile under his intense stare. Breathing deeply, Sam said with a shaky voice, "Daniel, how long did it take you to get over losing Sha're?" At his startled expression, she resumed, "It isn't any easier for us, giving up what seemed like five years together."
"But…"
"He doesn't want us to be together, Daniel, and I accept that. End of discussion." Major Carter was now firmly in command. Seeing Daniel was about to protest, she wrapped her arms around him and whispered in his ear, "Please, Daniel, support me on this. Okay?" He nodded and kissed her on the cheek. They were so intent on giving and receiving comfort, they missed Jack watching them.
"Didn't take her that long," Jack muttered through clenched teeth. He stepped back out of sight and went to say goodnight.
The party broke up soon afterward. Daniel drove Sam home then took Teal'c and himself back to the base.
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The next morning, Major Carter and Dr. Jackson were back in her lab working on optimizing the gate calculation program. Mathematics was her forte, computer programming his hobby. Together, they were a formidable team.
"I still think if you take out this subroutine and put in this function, it'll work faster," Daniel asserted.
"But, Daniel, the function is only used in five out of 20 passes. The subroutine contains formulae needed by the other 15 passes," Sam replied. "If we add a test for the 25 percent of passes that use the function, we reduce the gains from using the function."
"I need some coffee. Let's take a break." They'd been going at it for four hours and had made some small gains, but nothing dramatic. Unless the pair made a breakthrough, they were down to the point of chasing diminishing returns.
Just as they were getting up to leave, her email program notified her of an important message from Major Davis. "Hold on a second. I need to check this." As she read, her expression changed first to surprise, then disappointment, then foreboding. "Daniel, General Hammond cancelled most of the week's missions and dedicated the gate time to MALP surveys of the seven potential worlds. They've completed the survey of the first four, including P4J-299. The first three are either inhabited or not suitable. Two ninety nine has been judged as worth a second look." She glanced up at him, seeing concern to match hers in his eyes.
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A Beta Site, Redux -
The UAV overflight showed P4J-299 to be as promising in real life as it had been in their dream. Davis assigned SG-1 to do a manual exploration.
They gated to 299 the next morning, coming out of the wormhole into a pristine world topped by a brilliant blue sky. The air was clear and crisp in the early morning, dew heavy on the ground making everything sparkle. The ever-present trees were a welcome sight, even to Colonel O'Neill. If their search for a beta site was to be successful, the world must be as similar to Earth as possible. The three who had been to this world in their common dream felt a jolt of shared déjà vu.
As before, seeing no signs of natives, Goa'uld or wildlife, O'Neill led his team southwest from the gate toward an escarpment the UAV had picked up. "The scans showed a spot where we should be able to see for miles. We'll stop every hour or so to take samples for analysis."
Their first two days followed the exact same pattern as before. They found no sign of inhabitants, past or present. The game was plentiful and unafraid. The first night, Sam shared Daniel's tent, Jack shared with Teal'c. The military members were formal and polite, purely professional, with one another. For the first time since she was a child, Sam cried herself to sleep.
On the way back to the gate, Teal'c caught two rabbit-like animals and a small fat bird using his zat'nik'atel. Rather than soliciting praise, he quietly stowed them in a sealed bag and moved on.
Colonel O'Neill ordered, "We have until nightfall on planet to complete our survey. Let's split up to see how much ground we can cover. Teal'c will go with me to the north. You two head east. Meet us back at the gate before dark."
The tension decreased markedly after the two separated. Sam actually found herself enjoying her time on this picture perfect world. Humming as she walked along animal trails, Sam noted and took samples of several unique types of plants. Crossing a stream, she sampled the water and picked up a few rocks from the streambed.
"You're happier than I've seen you in weeks, Sam." Daniel was pleased at her good mood.
"I love getting time in the field. And it never hurts to have a sunny day to walk through the woods." She turned around on her heel to smile at him, then continued on around playfully until she was walking forward again. "And I decided I was tired of being unhappy all the time."
"Too bad it's time to turn around and head back to the gate," Daniel announced.
"Trying to spoil a girl's mood, Daniel?" she teased her friend, grinning, refusing to be upset.
"Never," he answered and proceeded to tell her every joke he knew until they reached the Stargate.
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Jack and Teal'c heard the two scientists long before they came into sight. Sam was laughing at Daniel's latest attempt at humor as they almost skipped along the trail, giddy with laughter. He'd quickly run out of jokes so he was telling her stories of his life on Abydos.
Ignoring her commander's sour look, Sam greeted her other teammate. "Find any new wildlife, Teal'c?"
"We saw several larger animals similar to your antelope, MajorCarter."
"Ready to go yet, Carter," the Colonel asked coldly.
She ignored his sarcasm and answered professionally. "Whenever you are, sir."
"Then dial us up, Daniel. Let's get home," O'Neill almost snarled, irritated that he couldn't anger her with his rudeness.
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And The Answer Is… -
"Analysis of the animal and plant samples collected shows them to be not only edible, but quite wholesome. The air and water are clean. No harmful microbial life is detectable. The soil is fertile and seems ready for farming. From a medical perspective, this world could easily support human life."
"Thank you, Dr. Frasier. This is very good news. Lt. Colonel Josephson, your report on the mineralogical survey." Paul Davis turned to Josephson, a mineralogist from the Army Corps of Engineers assigned to this project.
The geologist stood to speak. "The samples SG-1 brought back from 299 contain a remarkable mixture of materials and two unknown minerals. The bad news is that these samples show almost no naquadah. However, the good news is that the samples show a generous percentage of precious metals, plus iron, tin, and lead. Trace amounts of phosphorus, coal, sulphur and gypsum were also present. The two unknown minerals are extremely dense and both bear further study. One is similar in appearance, but not composition, to diamonds. Based on this quite small sample, P4J-299 could be a very rich world and could provide a viable source of income for the colony if the sample is indicative of the general mineralogy."
"Thank you, Colonel. Again, very good news. Major Carter?"
"Analysis of the local stars leads to the conclusion that 299 is on the opposite side of the galaxy from the strongholds of the predominant Goa'uld system lords. No Goa'uld worlds are within a reasonable distance by ship. We detected no signs whatsoever of habitation by intelligent beings, barring the Stargate, of course." She grinned along with the rest of the room. "The Stargate is situated in a small valley and quite defensible. Larger valleys to the north and east are easily accessible through low passes. Both are quite suitable for locating the colony. The escarpment to the southwest overlooks a huge river valley. We saw large herds of animals migrating through the valley."
Pausing to sip from a cup of water, Major Carter continued with her report. "Of the seven potential worlds identified so far, only two can readily support human life. P4J-299 and P3Y-945. 945 is well within the sphere of influence of two of the major system lords. I don't know why it wasn't on the cartouche wall, but they must surely know about this planet. It's unsuitable for our purposes."
"It appears we have only two options, then," Colonel O'Neill addressed the project members intently. "Accept P4J-299 or start again. If we have any doubts about 299, we should continue searching for new worlds. I'm in favor of accepting this world as the beta site and starting the next phase of the project – securing the world. General?"
"I concur. Does anyone have any objections? Major Davis?" The General glanced around the conference table for any signs of disagreement. He saw none. "Major Davis, Colonel O'Neill, you have a go to secure the planet for human colonization."
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If the project team thought the previous weeks were busy, the frantic pace of the next two made them all long for calmer times. However, the General made sure there was time for one small ceremony.
"It is my pleasure to announce the promotion of Major Samantha Carter to the rank of Lt. Colonel." With as much fanfare as the thinly stretched facility could muster, everyone celebrated her long-awaited advancement.
Even O'Neill seemed genuinely pleased for her and offered his rather stilted congratulations. "So, the brilliant career continues. This promotion is well deserved, Sam. Congratulations."
"Thank you, sir. If you'll excuse me, the General needs to talk with me." Sam marched stiffly in the other direction. She'd avoided him except during missions and mandatory meetings.
"I see you still have your touch with women, Jack."
"What can I say, Daniel? The O'Neill charm never fails." Jack flashed a weak smile, almost a grimace, at his friend. With his hands in his pockets, a subdued colonel turned and walked down the hall away from the party.
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The second and more significant change was the largely unheralded transfer of Colonel Jack O'Neill from the command of SG-1 to the command of the beta site on P4J-299. One day he was there, the next he was gone, accompanied by a small group of specially chosen troops. O'Neill and Hammond agreed it would be best if the transition was as smooth and understated as possible. Hammond merely let it be known that Colonel Carter was looking for a fourth member for her team.
Continued in Eden Obsession
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Author's Notes: Thanks so much for the great reviews, both private and public. It's what makes it all worthwhile.